Loved
by 0HappyEverAfter0
Summary: Sequel 1 of my one-shot "Control" What happens the morning after Damon and Elena's night of passion? Does she take off the next morning or stay? Can Damon handle someone caring for him, or does he lash out in fear? How does Stefan take the news? *LEMONS*


_A/N:** This is Sequel 1 to my one-shot Control. You need to go read that first!** (You can find it in my profile.) I am going to be writing three short stories that are all different sequels to that one-shot since it could go so many different directions. The other two will be called "Hurt" and u"Used". So look for those as well! This story is dedicated to my dear friend Lizzy for her birthday!_

_I'm sorry this took me so long to get out! It took me forever to figure out where I wanted to go with it- hence the three different stories lol. Enjoy!_

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Sunshine drifted across the large room, landing on Elena's sleeping face. She stirred and groaned as she felt the stiffness in her hard-worked muscles. A light breeze blew over her face, making her hair ruffle on the down pillow. She kept her eyes closed and listened to the sounds of a beautiful morning. Birds were singing a happy tune, leaves were bristling in the wind, and summer was in full swing. It was so peaceful Elena couldn't help but feel overly happy. She rolled over to her side and faced the man that changed everything in the course of one night. Gazing on his sleeping form, she thought she would feel some sort of regret or shame, but both were absent from her heart. Strangely, she felt more free and happy than she had since her parent's death. She had desperately tried to keep herself together when what she had really needed was to be allowed to vent. Damon took her violence, returned it and then loved her not in spite of- but because of it. No one had ever done that for her.

She let out a contented sigh and got up to take care of human needs and go make them some breakfast. Despite the Salvatores being Vampires she knew they still enjoyed eating "normal" food. Her assumptions were proven correct when she found pancake mix in the cupboard and bacon in the refrigerator. As she gently whipped the pancake batter into perfection, she tried to fight away thoughts of the sacrifice, Klaus and Stefan being trapped in the tomb. There was still so much to deal with and she didn't even know where to begin. With a big sigh, she pushed all the negative thoughts from her head and tried to focus on the potentially awkward conversation she was about to have with one Damon Salvatore.

Upstairs, Damon turned over in his sleep and woke to find an empty space where Elena should have been. His heart constricted in pain and his teeth clenched in hurt and frustration. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remind himself he knew this was going to happen. In the light of the morning no one ever picked Damon Salvatore. That was reserved exclusively for Stefan and it seemed the universe was never going to let him forget that. He tried to focus on the fact that for just one night Elena had been his. He had foolishly thought that would be enough, but now that he'd had her it only intensified his desire to be with her. She was the only thing keeping him even remotely human and he was terrified to let that go. A tear slipped down his cheek as he let the tendrils of pain swim through his body and rip him apart. She was making him feel again and he was defenseless against her. He laid on the bed for a while longer, letting the pain finally take him into a state of numbness.

Elena walked in just a few moments after, shocking him out of his pity induced coma. She set a tray of pancakes and bacon down on his nightstand and sat down on the bed next to him. Unsure of how to act, she looked away from him and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hi." she greeted awkwardly.

Damon stared at her with a perplexed look. "I thought you'd left."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can go." She murmured quickly and went to grab her things. Before she could leave the bed, he tightly wrapped his hand around her wrist. "No. I wanted you to be here. I assumed you would be upset about last night though." He bore into her eyes, silently praying and begging that maybe just once the girl had picked him.

Elena is overwhelmed by the amount of vulnerability and love shining in his eyes. "No, I'm not upset about it. I didn't exactly plan for it to happen, but it did and I'm not ashamed of it." His eyes narrowed and he studiously watched her face for any nonverbal cues. "And what about Stefan?"

She sighed deeply and ran her hand through her long brown hair. "I don't know. It's not like we're together right now, but this is still going to hurt him and I'm sorry for that."

"So you plan on telling him?"

"Yes, it's not like we can just keep something like this from him. Besides, if he found out from someone else it would just be ten times worse."

"He'll take you back ya know. St. Stefan's like that so no need to worry." Damon felt sick to his stomach having this conversation and suddenly wished Elena hadn't still been there this morning. It would have been easier to know she had regretted the night and left rather than try and be the good guy and push her back into his brothers arms.

Elena turned towards him with a hurt and surprised look on her face. "So what, was last night just a one time thing for you? You expect me to go running back to Stefan after what happened between us? Well fuck you! I thought you knew me better than that, but I guess not!" After her outburst she finished grabbing her things and stormed out of the boarding house. She was mad as hell and wanted to get as far away from Damon as possible before she said something she would regret later. Without a glance back she drove as fast as she could towards anywhere that wasn't the boarding house.

Damon was still in shock at her harsh words. Apparently she had already decided to be with him and he had gone and fucked it up per usual. Seemed like he could never do the right thing and it was starting to seriously piss him off. Unfortunately, a hundred year old habit of pushing people away didn't exactly go away overnight. He needed to go talk to her again before things got out of hand.

After getting dressed and draining a blood bag, Damon started looking for her at her house and around town. An hour later he found her in the cemetery in front of her parents graves crying. Silently, he sat down beside her and just waited for her to say something.

"I hate you."

"I know."

"You don't care that I hate you, do you?"

"Nope." he said popping the p.

"And that's why I think I love you." He didn't say anything, not sure how to process her words.

"Look, I know I was harsh earlier with the whole Stefan thing. But you have to admit I'm justified in questioning what you're planning on doing. I know you still have feelings for my brother and you're no Katherine, so it kinda seems obvious what's happening next."

"You mean it's obvious I'm going to choose Stefan?"

He shrugged and managed a small glance in her direction. "Everyone does. Nothing new really."

"You have to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Pretending like you don't care. It would hurt you just as much if I chose Stefan as it would hurt Stefan if I chose you."

"Maybe."

"All I know is that I'm probably not going to be around much longer with the way things are happening in my life. And last night was the most alive I've felt in a long time. You're dangerous, completely out of control and the type of guy parents warn their kids about. However, I think you're exactly what I need. Maybe it's because you're already so messed up, but I don't feel the need to be anything but how I want to be in the moment. No pretenses, no judgment."

"Gee, thanks."

"We've always had an understanding, you know that."

"Are you saying you're choosing me? Because you have to mean it. You'll have to stake me before I see you with my brother again after this."

Elena couldn't stand looking into his intense azure eyes anymore and averted her gaze to the scenery. "I don't really know what I'm saying to be honest. I do still have feelings for Stefan, but I can't just run back to him after last night. However, you haven't had a committed relationship in over a hundred years, are you sure you can even do this?"

He paused and looked into the distance, choosing his next words carefully. If he was being honest with himself he didn't know if he could make a relationship work. He had really hoped Elena would pick him, but never in his wildest dream did he think it would actually happen. He had spent so much of his life wanting the unreachable and now that he finally had it, he wasn't sure he would know what to do with it.

"I know I want to try."

"I think I do too."

"You just think so?"

Elena turned towards him and gave him a coy smile. "Hey, I'm willing to let you convince me it's a good idea. We've always had passion Damon, but just having passion doesn't make a relationship."

"Yeah, but not having passion doesn't work either. My personal opinion of why you and Steffy didn't work out so well."

"Didn't ask your opinion." she replied flatly.

"Hey, just saying- you can work on everything else, but the passion has to be there, and that's something we've already got."He gave her a sexy wink and his lips turned up into a well-knowing smirk.

Elena's face scrunched up as she once again thought about her decision. Part of her wished she could take everything back and keep on pretending like she hated Damon, but the other half of her was still jumping up and down and giggling like a school girl at the thought of being with him. The internal debate was about to wear her ragged with stress.

"So what exactly are we going to tell Stefan?" Damon asked, unsure of exactly what she was wanting from the entire situation. Elena didn't miss that he said "we" rather than "you". Somehow the idea of him standing by her side made her feel a little less nauseous about telling Stefan what had happened. A little.

"Not entirely sure. I just don't want him to see me as Katherine."

"He won't. Besides your looks, you two have nothing in common."

Elena's head snapped up at that and she looked him directly in the eye. "Do you mean that? Because you once told me I had a lot more in common with her than just looks."

He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the grass. "I was just angry then. You were trying to cut me out of your life and I didn't know how to handle it." She nodded her understanding, not wanting to talk about the events that lead her to say those things. Realistically, she should have never talked to him again, but here she was in the beginning stages of a relationship instead. She shook her head at the madness of it all.

Damon was still feeling unsure of the whole situation. She hadn't actually chose him or even defined that they were in any type of relationship. Just that she was giving him the chance to convince her to pick him. He wasn't sure if he should even try. Hell, just a couple weeks ago he had made the decision to let his brother have her. Stefan still deserved her and he shouldn't be trying to get her, even after last night; but he was still a man and he didn't think he could let her go after what had happened between them. Every thought since he woke up was about how her lips felt on his and how her skin prickled underneath his touch.

"So what now?" he asked.

"I think I'd like to go home now, get some rest and think about things some more. It's been a long couple of days."

Trying not to show his disappointment, Damon agreed and walked her to her car at the edge of the cemetery.

"Have a good night. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok, thanks." she leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. The smell of his cologne and the excitement of being near him caused her heartbeat to pick up. She tilted her head and ran her nose up the side of his neck. He shivered underneath her touch and let his hands settle on her hips. She pulled her head back slightly and Damon took the opportunity to devour her mouth with his own. She turned them around and pushed his back into the car.

Damon's hands ran up her back and tangled in her hair, roughly pulling her face close to him. His left hand traveled down her leg like a snake until it reached the junction in-between her thighs. He stroked her roughly through her jeans until he could smell the overwhelming perfume of her arousal. Elena moaned into his mouth and nibbled on his bottom lip.

"You're incorrigible"

"I know." he smirked.

Elena started to pull away from him, but Damon pulled her back close. "Where are you going? Shouldn't we finish what you started?"

"I don't think so Damon."

"Aw, come on. You want me because of the fun and excitement so let me show you some." The leering glint in his eyes was nearly enough to make her come undone, but she held strong.

"I don't want this to just be about sex."

"So, you're saying no sex? Because that doesn't sound like much fun, especially when I'm so good at it."

She playfully slapped his chest. "No, I'm just saying if you want me there has to be more than just a physical relationship. I've already told you I'm not one of your one night stands." His face because serious and he tenderly brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Of course not, you mean everything to me and those girls were just a distraction. I'm not the best at talking about my emotions but you should know I care about you."

A wave of calm coursed through Elena and she once more felt at peace with her actions the past night. A little voice in the back of her head kept screaming he was just going to use and abuse her, and now she was able to squish that voice of doubt.

"I know now." She said and smiled. With another hug goodbye, including an ass grab from Damon, Elena got in her car and drove home. Once she finally got to her room she collapsed on her bed and let out a deep sigh. It had been a long couple of days and everything still felt so surreal to her. Eventually, her mind wandered to the previous evening and she still couldn't believe she had slept with Damon of all people. Her insides clenched at the thought of having to explain everything to Stefan. It was going to be an awful experience. Though before that could happen they had to get Stefan out of the tomb, and she still needed to figure out how to protect her friends and family from Klaus since Damon foiled her attempt at self-sacrifice. It was all so much to deal with so she grabbed her journal and began to try and write down everything that had been going on.

Later that night Elena received a surprise visit from the supposedly dead Elijah. After convincing her not to call for help for the sake of her family he explained that he wasn't there to hurt her and that he wanted to make a deal with her. After listening to his proposition she was relieved that he was giving her a way out. There was still no way she was living through the ordeal, but it gave her a little more time to enjoy her life and ensure her loved ones stayed safe. She also took her rare opportunity of having the upper hand and requested Stefan's release from the tomb. Elijah agreed to everything and left as quick as he had come. Besides dealing with the Stefan/Damon situation Elijah had managed to tie up all the confusing and loose ends of her life.

She didn't know how long it would take Elijah to free Stefan, but she assumed it wouldn't take him long; so while waiting for Stefan to make his likely appearance, Elena took a long hot shower to try and relax her tense muscles. It had been a roller coaster of a day and she wasn't sure she was up for talking to Stefan at the moment. He was probably expecting to run into her arms and make things up, but after last nights events that wasn't going to happen.

Just as soon as she had slipped a pair of stripped sleeping shorts and a purple tank top on, Stefan climbed through her window. He covered the length of her floor in two strides and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"I missed you so much." He said as he gripped her firmly. Elena clenched her eyes tight and gave him a hug in return. She had still missed him and was exceedingly happy he was safely away from Katherine. When the hug started to last longer than what could be considered friendly, she gently pushed Stefan off her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm so happy to be out of there." He said with a genuine smile. "We can't trust Elijah though, I hope you realize that."

"Yeah I know." He stepped in closer and cupped her cheek in his hand, lowering his head to bring her in for a kiss. Gently, Elena stopped him and took a step back. "Stefan, some things have happened since you were in the tomb that we need to talk about." Stefan's face clouded in confusion as he tried to understand what she was talking about.

"What happened?"

"Maybe you should sit down." Elena motioned towards the bed. "This might be a bit difficult to accept." Her heart was racing, her palms sweating and her instincts were telling her to run as far away from the situation as possible and save herself the hardship. He eyed her warily and and went to sit down.

"Things haven't been the best between us in a while. Last night, I did something that I can't take back and I don't think I would want to, but it's going to hurt you and all I can say is I'm sorry for that." Dread was building up inside of Stefan. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for the worst. "Just spit it out."

"Hey baby bro, glad to see you're out." Damon's voice suddenly came from the window sill.

"Now's not the time Damon." Stefan said harshly. Elena, however, was abundantly relieved to see him perching in her window like he owned the place. She didn't want to have to do this alone. Without a word or even a cocky smirk Damon walked over to Elena, took her hand and gave her a short nod.

"Stefan, Damon and I are a thing now. We're not exactly dating, but we're heading that direction. Neither one of us want to hurt you, and more than anything I don't want you to think I'm like Katherine." Elena hung her head in shame at the last statement, the biggest reason she had stayed away from Damon was because of her overwhelming fear of becoming _her_. Damon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to address his brother.

"I hope you can forgive me. This has nothing to do with you brother, in fact I tried to stay away this time. I really did, but I couldn't."

Stefan felt like his world was crashing around him and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to be angry with the both of them, but he couldn't find it in him. They were being straightforward with him and if he was being honest, he should have seen this coming a long time ago. Elena brought out the human in Damon and that couldn't be ignored. Truthfully, he had missed that side of his brother. Regardless, he still loved Elena and it was extremely painful to let her go.

"If this is what you really want Elena then I'm glad you're happy, but you need to know I still love you and I always will. Damon, I don't blame you." He sighed and ran his hand through his tousled hair. "Of all the things to happen, I never thought this could." he waved his hand towards the two of them still standing awkwardly at the end of the bed.

Elena bit her lip to keep herself from asking if they could still be friends. She hoped they could be, but now wasn't the time to bring it up. She didn't even expect him to stay in town, even though she knew he would.

"I know we have a lot to take care of and plan for, but I need some time to process all this. Find me if you need me."

Damon nodded and clapped his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Same goes for you, you know where to find me." Stefan jumped out the window and took off into the night. Elena let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she plopped down on the bed.

"That wasn't terrible." Damon said as he sat down next to her.

"It was still hard though. And I'm so tired, it's been such a long day."

Damon scooted up further on the bed and motioned for her to follow him. She complied and molded herself into his arms. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the overwhelming feeling of being safe. "Thank you for coming tonight. That would have been much harder without you here."

"No problem." For the second time in two days, Damon felt the urge to tell her how he really felt about her, but he held it in again. She was finally giving him a chance and he didn't want to scare her away. So instead of sounding like the whipped vampire he was beginning to feel like, he brushed the hair off her forehead, gave her a sweet kiss and pulled the covers up over her.

Just sleeping with a girl had never felt so perfect before. She wasn't his yet, but he could hope for it without going crazy now. With her by his side he was confident he could find some way to be a better man. Maybe.

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_A/N: So, what did you think? An appropriate morning after for our favorite couple? Please R&R! I'll be updating soon with the next chapter and I need your inspiring encouragement! _


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